Nosepiece for microscopes



NOV. 24, 1936. G. S. M CDONALD NOSEPIECE FOR MICROSCOPES Fil ed Feb. 18, 1935 Patented Nov. 24, 1936 Ni'i'h STATS A'i'hbi'i OFlQE N SEPIECE FOR MICRO SCOPE S George S. MacDonald, Buffalo, N. Y., assignor to Spencer Lens Company, Buffalo, *N. Y.

Application February 18, 1935, Serial No. 7,039

4 Claims. (Cl. 8839) This invention relates to improvements in nose body tube or another fixed part of the micro pieces for microscopes. scope.

The objects of this invention are to provide an The fixed part 1 of the nose piece serves as improved nose piece in which the rotary part is a support on which a rotatable part E2 of the 5 pivoted to a stationary portion of the microscope nose piece may be mounted and this rotatable by means of an improved pivotal mounting which part has a. number of objectives B secured thereto afiords a more secure and accurate support for in such a manner that by turning the movable the rotary part, so that the objectives carried by part of the nose piece about its axis of rotation, the nose piece may be more accurately alined the optical axes of the several objectives mounted and supported with reference to the optical axis thereon may one at a time be placed into aline- 10 of the instrument; also to provide a bearing of ment with the optical axis of the body tube. In this kind in which a pair of frusto-conical or the particular construction shown, the stationary tapering members bear against corresponding and rotatable parts l and i2 are in the form faces of the rotatable part of the nose piece, and of disks, the part 62 having a flange l4 cooperatin which one of the wedge-shaped members is ing in the usual manner with the fixed part i 15 adjustable toward the other for insuring an accuto form a substantially dust proof enclosure for rate and rigid support of the pivoted part of the the upper ends of the objectives. Nose pieces as nose piece; also to improve the construction of thus far described have heretofore been used in nose pieces for microscopes in other respects hereconnection with microscopes and of themselves inafter specified. do not constitute a part of this invention. 20

In the accompanying drawing: It will be realized that in order to provide for Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of the a high degree of accuracy in alinirlg the 0101310241 lower end of the body tube of a microscope and axis of any one of t Objectives Carried y having a nose piece embodying this invention apnose piece correctly with reference to the optical plied thereto. axis of the microscope, it is necessary to provide Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view, partly in an accurate pivotal mounting of the rotatable 25 elevation, of the nose piece, the section being part IQ of the nose piece with reference to a fixed taken approximately on line 2-2, Fig. 1. part of the. microscope, and in the construction Fig. 3 is a similar sectional view in which the shown for this purpose, an improved pivotal bearpivot of the nose piece is also shown in section. ing is provided for this purpose and comprises a 30 Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view thereof on pin or post l5 which is rigidly secured to the staline 4-4, Fig. 3. tionary or fixed part I of the nose piece and this Fig. 5 is a sectional perspective view of the movpost or pin iS preferably D d dja ent to t e able wedge or bearing member of the pivotal part 1 with a tapering or substantially frustosupport. conical bearing portion it which may, if desired, 35

In Fig. l, A represents the lower portion of a be formed integrally with the post it": as shown body tube of a microscope, to the lower end of in Fig. 3. The post has a portion which extends which a nose piece embodying this invention is beyond the frusto-conical part it and is provided applied. The nose piece includes a fixed r near the outer portion thereof with a movable stationary part i which may be suitably secured tapering frusto-conical bearing member ll. Pref- 40 to any fixed part of the microscope. In the conerably, this bearing member I! is held against struction illustrated, this nose piece is secured to turning with reference to the post it and for the lower end of the body tube A and for this that purpose, the post is provided at its end porpurpose a sleeve 8 having an outwardly extendtion with a flattened side or face 58, which is ing flange 9 on the lower end thereof is secured adapted to engage with a correspondingly flat- 45 through an aperture or sleeve it in the fixed tened portion 59 in a central aperture 20 of the part I of the nose piece. The upper portion of bearing member ll. This arrangement permits the sleeve 8 may be suitably secured within the the bearing member ll to move lengthwise of the body tube in any suitable manner, for example, post without turning relatively to the same. It

such as a threaded engagement with a part of the will be obvious that any other means for permit- 50 body tube and the flange 9 bears against a shoulting lengthwise movement of this bearing memder formed in the aperture ill of the fixed part ber relatively to the post without turning may of the nose piece. It will be understood, howbe employed in place of that shown. ever, that the fixed part of the nose piece may The movable bearing member Il may be held be secured in any other manner, either to the on the post l5 and urged lengthwise thereof by 5 any suitable means, a set screw 22 engaging in a threaded aperture in the end of the post being shown for this purpose, the head of the set screw extending into engagement with the outer face of the bearing member [1 and by tightening the set screw, the bearing member I! may be moved toward the other bearing member I6.

The rotatable part 12 of the nose piece is provided with a tapering or frusto-conical bearing surface 25 arranged to cooperate with the correspondingly tapered bearing portion [6 of the pivot post I 5 and in order to provide an accurate mounting for the rotatable part of the nose piece, a hub portion or extension 26 is preferably formed in this part I2 which preferably extends at a distance from the tapered or frusto-conical surface 25 and is provided near its outer end with a tapered or frusto-conical bearing surface 27 adapted to cooperate with the bearing member IT. The portion of the rotatable member l2 between its two bearing surfaces 25 and 27 is preferably spaced from the cylindrical portion of the post l5 so that the pivot bearing is formed only at the frusto-conical or tapering bearing faces. It will be obvious that by tightening the set screw 22, the bearing member I! may be moved toward the other bearing member l6, thus insuring a correct centering of the rotatable part I2 of the nose piece at all times, even after considerable wear of the contacting faces of the bearing parts has taken place. The set screw 22 may also be adjusted as may be desired to obtain the desired friction between the frustoconical faces to yieldingly hold the rotatable part of the nose piece in any position into which it is set.

The construction described makes it possible to provide forthe rotatable part of the nose piece an extended bearing surface by providing on the movable part of the nose piece an outwardly extending hub or projection 26 which permits the spacing apart of the two frusto-conical bearing surfaces to such an extent as to provide a very secure and firm mounting for the rotatable part of the nose piece, so that the objectives may be held in correct relation to the optical axis of the microscope.

I claim as my invention:

1. A nose piece for a microscope including a fixed part and a rotatable part carrying a plurality of objectives, any one of which may be placed into an operative position by rotation of said rotatable part, said fixed part having a pivot post rigidly secured thereto about which said rotatable part may turn, said rotatable part having oppositely disposed faces arranged in substantially frusto-conical relation to said post and said pivot post having substantially frusto-conical portions cooperating with said faces, one of said portions being movable toward and from the other, and means for pressing said portions into engagement with said faces.

2. A nose piece for a microscope including a fixed part and a rotatable part carrying a plurality of objectives, any one of which may be placed into an operative position by rotation of said rotatable part, said fixed part having a pivot post rigidly secured thereto about which said rotatable part may turn, said rotatable part having a hub portion provided at opposite ends thereof with oppositely disposed faces tapering with relation to the axis of said pivotal post, said pivot post having correspondingly tapering members adapted to be pressed into'wedging engagement with said faces for pivotally supporting said rotatable part.

3. A nose piece for a microscope including a fixed part and a, movable part having a plurality of objectives mounted thereon, and a pivotal connection between said parts which includes a post formed on one of the said parts and having bearing members supported thereon and spaced apart and tapering in opposite directions with reference to the axis of said pivotal connection, the other part having a hub portion formed thereon provided with correspondingly tapering bearing faces near opposite ends thereof and arranged to cooperate with the bearing members of said post, the portion of said post between said bearing members being out of contact with said hub, to support said hub on said post adjacent to the opposite ends of said hub.

4. A nose piece for a microscope including a fixed part and a movable part having a plurality of objectives mounted thereon, and a pivotal connection between said parts which includes a post formed on one of the said parts and having tapering bearing members supported thereon and spaced apart, one of said bearing members being mounted adjacent to the end of said post and being held against rotation relatively to said post and movable lengthwise thereof, the other part of the nose piece having a hub formed thereon and provided at opposite ends of said hub with tapering bearing faces adapted to be engaged by the bearing faces of said post, and a set screw engaging the end of said post and the adjacent bearing member for urging said bearing member toward the other bearing member to press said bearing members against said faces.

GEORGE S. MACDONALD. 

